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2018 Ford Fusion

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Fusion do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 1,109.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

188 reports with mileage · 250 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 201 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 106 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 88 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

438 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 28, 2022
Fuel System, Other

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 50-55 MPH, she heard an abnormally loud sound coming from the front the of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence, where she turned off and restarted the vehicle. However, the failure persisted. T…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated while driving at 50-55 MPH, she heard an abnormally loud sound coming from the front the of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence, where she turned off and restarted the vehicle. However, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the flywheel needed to be replaced. The part was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred a year later. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the flywheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11486870

Mileage unknown · Sep 24, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Dial on gear shift kept saying "shift fault, see manual " after investigating, bushing from shifter cable bushing was missing. Many other fusions have had this complaint and recall was issued for certain years. Possibilities are car going out of gear while parked and rolling away. This is a safety for the Ford fusion.

NHTSA ODI #11486156

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2022
Fuel/propulsion System

Fuel vacuum system failure. Results in the check engine light coming on. Vehicle has died in the middle of the highway. Took vehicle to mechanic and they stated that this is a very common issue they have fixed in over half of the ford fusions he has seen. Vehicle will cut off and will not start. Shows a code for fuel/emissions.

NHTSA ODI #11483493

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2022
Unknown Or Other

I have had this issue twice now. The vehicle says shift sensor fault or shift sys fault or something. The bushing on the transmission has failed for the 2nd time. Both times stopping me from being able to drive my vehicle to be able to get to my place of employment.

NHTSA ODI #11483418

112,000 miles · Aug 30, 2022
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated with a message stating "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" displayed. Additionally, the engine sputtered while the vehicle was being started and there was gray smoke coming from the exhaust …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated with a message stating "Engine Coolant Over Temperature" displayed. Additionally, the engine sputtered while the vehicle was being started and there was gray smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #1, causing damage to the engine long block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 112,000.

NHTSA ODI #11481935

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2022
Electrical SystemCrash

Son was driving 20 mph and Vehicle acted like it shut off, door chime started dinging, steering and brakes locked up and my son crashed into a group of trees, totaling the car. It had electrical issues prior and had shut off once before while he was in a parking lot. The auto shut off at stops worked correctly for a while and st…

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Son was driving 20 mph and Vehicle acted like it shut off, door chime started dinging, steering and brakes locked up and my son crashed into a group of trees, totaling the car. It had electrical issues prior and had shut off once before while he was in a parking lot. The auto shut off at stops worked correctly for a while and stopped working. Parking lights would come on while driving. Just a bunch of weird electronic things before final crash. The car had been repaired from a previous accident, but had been acting odd before that. I think previous owner had crashed it also and I’m wondering if that crash could have been caused by the same malfunctions. Also, air bags never deployed in either of his accidents which was very odd.

NHTSA ODI #11481070

Mileage unknown · Aug 22, 2022
Unknown Or Other

Calling this a safety issue may be a stretch, but I can see where a potential exists. In my 2018 Ford Fusion the trunk frequently pops open of its own accord while the vehicle is parked and ignition is off. It happens often enough that I am afraid to leave anything of value in it. My wife is afraid that it could happen someday …

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Calling this a safety issue may be a stretch, but I can see where a potential exists. In my 2018 Ford Fusion the trunk frequently pops open of its own accord while the vehicle is parked and ignition is off. It happens often enough that I am afraid to leave anything of value in it. My wife is afraid that it could happen someday while we're driving the vehicle. A trip to my local Ford dealer yielded nothing, and they told me that they had never heard of such a thing happening. They did offer to "troubleshoot" it for me at their full labor rate! Nothing found on the Ford website. A Google search, however, revealed that this has occurred frequently in the Fusion and in other Ford vehicles, as well as in vehicles from other manufacturers. I love the car and would hate to get rid of it because of this vexing problem, but I'm afraid to leave my golf clubs in the car while I run into a store. Also, the fear that it could pop open while vehicle is in operation leaves me with fear that something could fly out of the trunk and cause an accident or injury. Same Google search has shown a number of reports of this happening.

NHTSA ODI #11480620

Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2022
Engine

I am a retired mechanic with over 13 years of professional experience working at multiple dealerships. I purchased my 2018 Ford Fusion with 2.0L Ecoboost on 6/29/2022 with 73,555 miles. Two days after delivery, within 1 minute of leaving home, the CHECK ENGINE light was illuminated. When I returned home, I used my diagnostic sca…

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I am a retired mechanic with over 13 years of professional experience working at multiple dealerships. I purchased my 2018 Ford Fusion with 2.0L Ecoboost on 6/29/2022 with 73,555 miles. Two days after delivery, within 1 minute of leaving home, the CHECK ENGINE light was illuminated. When I returned home, I used my diagnostic scanner to find code P0300 set. What I found interesting is that the scanner indicated that the code had been cleared 298 miles earlier, which indicated either the prior owner cleared the code, or the dealership cleared the code prior to marketing it for sale. Two days ago, on the way home from work, the CHECK ENGINE light came on again, and I was able to determine that the code was a P0302, misfire on cylinder 2. I checked the coolant level of the car, and it was below the minimum mark on the reservoir. I removed the spark plug from cylinder #1 and cylinder #2 for visual inspection and comparison. Visual inspection of the plugs had a normal carbon build-up on the piston in cylinder #1 and on the ground electrode of the same spark plug, whereas on cylinder #2 there was no carbon buildup on the spark plug nor on the top of the piston; it was "wet looking". I reinstalled the spark plugs, and topped the coolant off and bled air out of the coolant system. I did utilize a combustion gas leak detection tester marketed by Blue Point that I have used in the past to diagnose faulty head gaskets, but the results were inconclusive. On my drive to work the next day, the CHECK ENGINE light was no longer illuminated. This morning, I examined the coolant reservoir, and there is a noticeable decrease in volume of coolant in the reservoir from the day before, along with the misfire on startup and illumination of the CHECK ENGINE light, with code P0302 being set. To date, the selling dealership and Ford have denied my request for any extended warranty assistance for replacement of the defective designed 2.0L engine. I now have a car I cannot use at all.

NHTSA ODI #11479868

Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2022
EnginePower Train

There is a coolant leak into the cylinder which causes it to misfire. Ford is aware this is a known problem!!

NHTSA ODI #11479734

Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2022
Steering

I just bought my car almost 2 months ago. It has 32,000 miles. Having steering issues.

NHTSA ODI #11479697

Official recalls

2

23V162000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Mar 10, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.

18V167000 · Steering: Steering Wheel/handle Bar

Mar 12, 2018

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S08.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

RQ22004 · Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

Opened Aug 8, 2022 · Closed Mar 24, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 50 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging front brake jounce hose ruptures on model year (MY) 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A ruptured front brake hose results in a brake fluid leak. As a result, the driver may experience an increase in pedal travel and a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash. It should be noted that the subject vehicles identified fell outside the scope of NHTSA Safety Recall 20V-469, which addressed front brake hoses rupturing on certain MY 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The result causes a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needing to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.On March 10, 2023, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted to NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-162 (Ford Recall 23S12) to address front brake jounce hoses that may rupture. Ford found the rupture occurs from a localized failure of the internal reinforcement braid due to cyclic fatigue through tensile/bending and torsional inputs during suspension and steering articulations. The supplier for the front brake jounce hoses is Hitachi. This recall affects the subject vehicles equipped with non-hybrid engines and the suspect front brake jounce hoses (a total of 1,280,726 vehicles). The recall covers subject vehicles built from February 3, 2012 to July 19, 2017 when the suspect hoses were used in vehicle production. The remedy is for dealerships to replace both front brake jounce hoses with new hoses that have a revised braid material at no cost. The vehicles equipped with hybrid engines are excluded from the recall because the internal hose pressure is much lower due to the regenerative braking provided by the hybrid brake system. No failures of brake hoses on hybrid vehicles have been reported to ODI or Ford.Ford's actions address ODIs concerns at this time. Hybrid vehicles will be monitored for related failures. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by new circumstances.The 103 ODI numbers cited above can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ID numbers:11511014, 11510867, 11510318, 11509030, 11505993, 11504989, 11504400, 11502147, 11502082, 11501820, 11501283, 11498439, 11498296, 11496842, 11496335, 11494931, 11494851, 11494252, 11493001, 11492084, 11492070, 11491444, 11491274, 11488858, 11488027, 11487627, 11487416, 11487233, 11486150, 11484924, 11484526, 11484080, 11483948, 11483926, 11483739, 11483723, 11482773, 11482690, 11481077, 11480788, 11480294, 11480052, 11479338, 11479334, 11479252, 11479247, 11479187, 11479094, 11479048, 11478985, 11478953, 11478729, 11478216, 11476892, 11476282, 11470558, 11468994, 11467109, 11466294, 11462746, 11461217, 11456065, 11455367, 11444848, 11436419, 11436376, 11430685, 11428329, 11425083, 11421026, 11420738, 11420735, 11420298, 11418197, 11403926, 11397549, 11366991, 11366757, 11361016, 11359968, 11354569, 11352165, 11350344, 11348799, 11343929, 11343205, 11331947, 11329020, 11319596, 11310529, 11292271, 11288455, 11254787, 11253479, 11253244, 11234622, 11230669, 11230050, 11228240, 11221111, 11143630, 11129392 and 11120228.